Author's Note: This story begins in the forest in New Moon after Edward breaks Bella's heart and leaves her there alone.

Chapter 1: He loves me not! He loves me?!

Bella's POV

I has been just a couple of days since my horrible 18th birthday when Jasper tried to attack me after I got a paper cut from the wrapping paper on one of my gifts. Now I find myself lying on the forest floor somewhere near my house, broken hearted. Edward led me out here to break it off with me and tell me he and his family, my family, were leaving Forks, Washington for good. He told me that the rest of the Cullens had already left and that he stayed behind to talk to me. I believed him.

Little did I know, Jasper didn't leave and neither did Carlisle and Esme. Basically, he and Alice left. Rose and Emmett were away at Dartmouth at school (at least that was the cover story around Forks). While I was lying, sobbing on the forest floor, I heard leaves rustling behind me. When I sat up and looked, I saw a familiar, tall, muscular, blonde empath staring directly at me.

"Jasper!" I exclaimed as I jumped up, ran to him, and threw my arms around his waist. He gently hugged me back. After a few minutes, I backed away from him, all the while looking into his inhumanly beautiful face. "But, but… he said you all left."

"Bella, I have to tell you something important, okay?" he drawled out in his thick, Texas accent.

"Ok" I whispered with a hint of fear present in my voice. Jasper frowned.

"Only Alice and Edward left. Rosalie and Emmett went back to 'school'. Darlin, at your birthday party the other day, I wasn't trying to attack you. When Edward pushed you into that table, I was growling at him for hurting you!" With that, he sent me a wave of calm and love. "I'm in love with you Bella."

Wait! What?!? Jasper is in love with me? "But what about Alice? She's your 'wife' and you have been with her for 80 years!"

Jasper's POV

There she is! I could hear her sobbing and feel pain and fear rolling off of her. Being an empath, I can feel what others are feeling and it really sucks at times like this!

How could he hurt her? Why did he have to leave her? She is clearly in love with him.

I walked noisily so as to alert her of my presence without fully startling her. I don't want to cause her to die of a heart attack. She's dealing with enough already!

She looked around and saw me. "Jasper!" With that, I felt excitement and relief. Bella rushed to me, wrapping her tiny, fragile, human arms around my waist. We held there hugging for a few moments. As she slowly pulled out of the embrace, I couldn't help but notice how much of a mess she was. Her long, brown hair was matted and had an array of leaves and twigs tangled in it. Her face, her beautiful face, was tear-stained and her gorgeous, dark brown eyes showed pain, sadness, and confusion.

"But, but… he said you all left." I felt her utter confusion now, as well as a hint of hope.

Wow. This is going to be harder than I thought. She's head-over-heels for my dumbass brother!

"Bella, I have to tell you something important, okay?"

"Ok." Fear. I frowned.

"Only Alice and Edward left. Rosalie and Emmett went back to 'school'. Darlin, at your birthday party the other day, I wasn't trying to attack you. When Edward pushed you into that table, I was growling at him for hurting you!" I sent her a wave of calm and love. "I'm in love with you Bella" I drawled out.

With that confession Bella's emotions shifted all over the place. Confusion. Pain. Love. Guilt. Wait?! Did she just feel love? What would she feel guilty about?

"But what about Alice? She's your 'wife' and you have been with her for 80 years!" she exclaimed.

"Alice and I have been putting up a front. I haven't been in love with her for years, nor she I. Alice has been in love with Edward since we met the Cullens and she knew that I would fall in love with you, she saw it in a vision about 10 years ago."

Bella's POV

Jasper and Alice, over? Edward and me, over? As sad as I thought I was about the latter, I really wasn't at all! I'm so confused.

"Bella?" I looked at him. "It's getting late. We should probably get you home and cleaned up before Charlie gets home and freaks out."

"Yeah, I suppose you are right. How do we get back to my house? I have no idea where we are!"

"Relax darlin. I'll carry you there. It would be quicker."